This Could Be the Start of a Beautiful Friendship
by mahaliem
Summary: My version of how I'd like the show to end (with shameless stealing from the movie "Casablanca").


Title:                 This Could Be the Start of a Beautiful Friendship

Author:             mahaliem

Rating:              PG-13

Disclaimer:        Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy

Summary:         My version of how I'd like the show to end (with shameless stealing from the movie "Casablanca").  

Xander and Willow watched as Spike stood at the airport window, raindrops making little rivulets run down the outside of the glass.  The plane carrying Giles, Dawn, and Buffy on the first leg of their journey to England had taken off minutes earlier, but the vampire still stood transfixed, as if trying to soak up the last faint impressions of the Slayer's presence.  

In consternation, the pair stared, wondering if anyone else in the busy Sunnydale terminal noticed that Spike was not reflected in the glass.   Spike wasn't speaking, wasn't moving, a lump of misery clad in black leather.  Xander and Willow glanced at each other, before heading towards him.  They were within two feet of Spike, when he spun on his heels, brushed by them, and headed towards the exit with a swirl of his duster.  Startled, the friends stood there, stunned, before hurrying after him.     

Striding out of the terminal, Spike paid no attention to the two humans following him.  He did glance up at the sky, noticing the lack of sun.  That was the witch's doing, he thought.  She'd known that he'd wanted to see the Watcher and his girls off, so she'd played with the weather.  Dark clouds covered the sky for miles, releasing a soft rain that was resulting in a mist.   By the way it surrounded him in particular, Spike figured he was the radius of Willow's magic.    

He heard footsteps nearing, but was determined to ignore them until he felt Harris' heavy arm wrap around his shoulder. 

"Hey, my car's this way, pal," Xander said, attempting to steer Spike in a different direction.  Willow reached the other side of Spike and grabbed the vampire's hand, clasping it tightly in hers.  

"Come on, Spike.  You know it's too far to walk back to town."

With a sigh, Spike stopped, and let them turn him towards the parking lot.  The pair stayed next to him, one on each side.  

"So, what's up?  You going to go out and get drunk now?" asked Xander.

Spike shook his head.  

"Feel like killing something first, maybe lots of somethings.  Then, I'll get drunk."

"Good," replied Xander.  "Sounds like a plan.  I'm in."

"So, are we Bronzing afterwards or going to Willy's?" Willow asked Xander.

"Does it matter?" 

"Of course it matters.  If we go to the Bronze, I want to look cute, edging towards hot.  If we go to Willy's I need to look the part of the bad-ass witch."

"Can't you be the hot bad-ass witch?" wondered Xander.

Knocking Xander's arm from his shoulder and disentangling his hand from Willow's, Spike stopped and stared at the pair in bewilderment.

"What the bleeding hell is going on with you gits?"

A silent exchange occurred between Xander and Willow, before Xander spoke.

"We took a vote.  You're now our new best friend."

"What?"  

Xander shrugged.  "Hey, don't look at me.  I voted against it, but Willow overruled me."

Spike turned his head from staring in stupefaction at Xander to staring in stupefaction at Willow.  She smiled brightly at him, and nodded.  Xander continued speaking.

"You get to vote, also, but I don't think you should even bother.  She'll just overrule you, too."  

At this pronouncement, the wattage of Willow's smile increased and she nodded again.  

"You prats can't just decide that I'm your best friend!" Spike declared.

"Why not?" asked Willow.   "We used to have a best friend, Jesse.  Vampires got him.  Now, we've got you.  It's like…karma."

"But the lot of you hate me.  And I hate you."

"We don't hate you," Willow said.

"Um..actually, he's right, Will.   I do hate him," stated Xander.

"Shush!  We should be best friends.  We have lots in common."

"Like….?"

"Um…we fight evil!  We're evil fighters." Willow said triumphantly.

"I fight.  You do your hocus pocus bit and Harris….   Don't rightly know what Harris does."

"I fight. Maybe not well.  Okay, not well at all."  

Spike continued to stare at Xander, one eyebrow arched, flustering the human.   

"Hey, did I ever tell you how I saved the world once?" Xander finally said.  

"Yeah.  Saved it from Red.  Don't think that counts."

"Of course it counts.  How can you say it doesn't count?  Definitely one world saveage for the Xan man."

Willow began to bounce excitedly.

"Oh…I've been evil.  You've been evil.  We're both ex-evildoers!"

"And Harris?"

Willow and Spike looked at Xander.  

"Er…I summoned Sweet.  He killed people."

"Riiight," said Spike with a roll of his eyes.  "You mean for him to kill 'em?"

"No!  I mean, yes!  Stupid people, who have nothing better to do than sing and dance and…okay, I give up.  I haven't been evil."

At that moment, another plane took off from the airport, the roar of the engines causing the ground to shake.  Spike stopped and looked up, his eyes following it.  Quietly, he spoke.  

"We'll all miss Buffy."

With nods, the others agreed.  

"Come on, Big Bad.  They'll be back to visit soon," Xander said while awkwardly patting Spike's back.

"If there's an apocalypse, then they'll be back even sooner," added Willow.

"You think?  Not saying that just to cheer me up, are you?"

"Nope.  Little rumbling from the Hellmouth and they'll be back in a flash," Willow assured him.

The trio walked farther and farther into the drizzling mist, Xander's arm was once again slung about Spike's shoulder.  Willow snaked her arm around Spike's waist, smiling as he looked down at her.  Spike took a deep, unnecessary breath and let it out, before speaking again.

"We're best friends, huh?  Does that mean we shag together?"

"What?" shrieked Xander.  "No!  No shagging.  Wouldn't work, anyway.  Willow's gay, I'm not.  Sheesh…vampires and their lack of inhibitions."

As the friends continued to walk, the mist obscured their figures, but Willow's voice was heard one last time before they disappeared entirely.

"But maybe we could try it…once or twice."      

The End

Feedback is appreciated


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